Hermione's House-Elf Service
by MsMacBeth10
Summary: In her quest to achieve liberty for all house-elves, Hermione is forced by Draco to work for the Malfoys in lieu of their own house-elves, aka servants. Let the fun begin.


**Summary: In her quest to achieve liberty for all house-elves, Hermione is forced by Draco to work for the Malfoys in lieu of their own house-elves, aka servants. Let the fun begin. **

**Disclaimer: I solemnly swear that I do not own any Harry Potter characters or the phrase "I solemnly swear".**

**Feedback is much loved and appreciated! **

* * *

"For the last time, the answer is _no_, Granger," Draco Malfoy drawled, though it wasn't the first time he had said 'for the last time' either.

Hermione glared back, clutching the stack of papers tightly against her chest as though she was daring him to burn it. After all, it was her most prized possession - her proposal to either enable house-elves work for pay, or not have them work at all - but it wasn't going to pass unless everyone in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement agreed to it, and unfortunately, the target of her pestering was one of them. She had constantly asked him to sign the document, but every single time he had turned it down.

"Ohh, I hate you!" she declared, eyeing him with distaste and hatred.

"Hating me isn't going to make me sign the document, Granger," Draco pointed out with a smug smirk on his face, lunging back in his office chair and putting his feet up on his desk to spite her.

Hermione's hand itched to punch him, but she didn't think it would help her get a promotion if her boss discovered her violent tendencies. _Work comes first, Hermione_, she reminded herself, taking a deep breath in order to calm down. "And why would you say 'no', Malfoy?" she asked with icy calm in her voice, sending shivers down Draco's spine.

He took his time in answering. "First of all, Granger, that's what house-elves have known for centuries. They exist only to serve their masters. If they're given time to themselves, they wouldn't know what to do. Second, I'm sure we're all extremely busy persons, and having a house-elf would mean saving time to do other things. Besides, there are also ordinary families out there who have house-elves, and if they ask for pay, those families would not be able to afford them. Will that suffice, Granger or did you want any more reasons?"

For once, Hermione was rendered speechless. She had never imagined him to be the type to give a well thought-out argument, but here he was, giving her reasons that countered her own. Her brain whirled as she tried to think of a response, but the the only thing she thought of to say was, "And since when have you cared about _ordinary_ families?"

"The war changes people, Granger," he said coolly. "And here I was, thinking you'd be smart enough to figure that out."

"You - !" Hermione began, but under his piercing gaze, she couldn't figure out what he was.

Malfoy looked thoughtful - when had he ever looked thoughtful? - before finally letting out a breath. "Although I suppose I _can _consider it, but under one condition." To him, it was really just to shut her up, and to have a bit of fun. Granger was a great source amusement, especially when she was mad because of him.

"And what condition is that, Malfoy?" Hermione asked with dread, knowing that whatever his condition was, it wasn't going to be good. This was Malfoy she was dealing with, after all.

He lifted a finger and pointed at her. "If you're willing to prove to my family that a human is capable of taking over house-elf duties. _All _of them. Because if we're to get rid of our house-elves, someone would have to do their job, right?"

Hermione sighed with relief. That didn't sound so bad. "That's what people like nannies are for - "

"No, Granger, I'm not looking to hire a _nanny_. What I'm proposing is for _you _to come work for us without pay. I'm sure your earnings here are already high enough that you wouldn't need any extra payment from us. Then I'll consider signing that document."

Hermione immediately paled. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She hadn't heard wrong, had she? But the look Malfoy was currently giving her, taunting her to give him an answer, definitely made his words real. The nerve of the guy!

Even so, Hermione already knew what her answer was going to be. She wasn't going to back down from a challenge, especially one from Malfoy, even if she was going to regret it for the rest of her life. Besides, if she was going to start _somewhere_ on her quest for house-elf liberty, then the house of Malfoy would be the perfect place to do so.

She lifted her head defiantly. "Alright, I'll do it."

"Didn't think you'd agree so easily, Granger," Malfoy smirked, clapping his hands together. "And to make sure you'll keep your word - we can't have you running off halfway through, can we? - I think an Unbreakable Vow would do just the trick."

Hermione groaned, burying her face into her hands. Knowing Malfoy, whatever he had up his sleeve was definitely not going to be good. Merlin, what had she gotten herself into...?


End file.
